Titanfall: Stranded
by Dysentia
Summary: The Illusive Man has sent a new Dossier to Commander Shepard. An unusually skilled soldier with amazing mobility and why do they call him 'The Titan Caller?
1. Chapter 1

Titanfall: Stranded

Chapter 1

Edit 14/01/2017 - Minor fixes

* * *

"Good morning, sunshine." A gruff voice sneered at him from behind bullet-proof glass. Charcoal eyes cracked open to reveal a cell. There wasn't even a cot to sleep on, just a dusty floor. At least they let him keep his clothes, a vacuum-sealed suit with some personal touches like the ceramic plating and the pouches that the bastard sneering at him was wearing. Branden blinked once and looked down. The man chuckled.

"Oh, you are SO going to pay for that." The asshole actually had the gall to steal his pouches. His mother made those for him!

"What was that, love?" The pouch-stealing ass-wipe leaned in close to the glass, pretending not to hear him. The current lighting really made him look much worse than he remembered. An ugly scar slashed across his face, a nose that looked broken in three different places and a glass eye. "Oh, these little things?" he fondled the precious pouches. "Just a prize I've earned for catching the 'Titan Caller'." He wiggled his fingers, feigning awe.

"Y'know, if you give them back, Zaeed. I might let you go with just another scar." Branden warned, tugging back his left sleeve a little. At least they didn't take his watch.

"You're in no place to make threats here, kid." Zaeed turned around and made a circular motion with his hand. Light began to filter in as several doors opened to reveal at least twenty other people, cut-rate mercenaries if he was correct. A few mercs broke off to go around his cell out of his sight. A moment later and he was briefly blinded. Now he was in a glass box in the middle of a hangar with the launch pad exposed to the elements. Perfect.

Brandon let out an impressed whistle at the amount of personnel and gear that Zaeed had acquired. "Nice set up, Zaeed. Kudos." He stepped over to a glass wall and leaned into it, squinting his eyes to count. "You've got what, at least a hundred guys and two ships?"

"Something like that, yeah." The grizzled merc sneered. "You rethinking your threat now?"

"No. But tell me Zaeed, do you know what a Titanfall is?"

"A what?"

"Well, you're about to find out in…" Branden looked at his watch. "… four… three… two…" A sonic boom thundered from above them. Every mercenary, including Zaeed, turned and looked towards the glowing meteor streaking towards them. A bare second before it impacted, its shell crumbled to reveal a massive, metallic and humanoid figure. Branden could barely keep the smile off his face.

With a mighty impact, the Titan landed in a crouch, throwing up a cloud of dust. Not even a second later, bullets flew out from the dust cloud and rumbling foot-steps could be felt as the mercenaries began screaming.

Out from the cloud flew the steel giant, making a bee-line towards Branden, bullets pinging off its armour. It crossed the distance in seconds before sliding to a halt with its hand braced against the cell's frame. Without even needing to be prompted, it began a slowly accelerating series of punches against the glass, intending to break it without injuring Branden, who stood as far back as he could.

With only five punches, the glass shattered, allowing Branden to leap out and look around. The initial shock of a Titanfall in the middle of the base was beginning to wear off. They'd have to work fast.

"AK, keep them distracted!" Branden called over the chaos. "I need to find my gear!"

"Affirmative. I will provide assistance when possible." The Titan's voice boomed in a flat baritone. "Warning, enemy infantry detected." AK's eye swivelled around as it retrieved its 20mm auto-cannon.

"I'll be back before you know it!" Branden took off for the nearest door, sliding under a forklift and scooping up a discarded hand-gun as he went.

* * *

Branden rounded a corner, gun raised and ready to fire at a moment's notice. Outside, muffled by the thick concrete walls, he could hear AK's cannon firing and the occasional missile impact. Branden figured that the best place to find his gear was to check Zaeed's quarters or, if they weren't there, th-

"Wards, I detect your helmet's signal approximately three-hundred metres to the north. Please proceed with haste." Or AK could just tell him where they were from his backup radio fitted into his watch.

"Got it, AK, keep your pants on." Branded replied with a slightly exasperated sigh.

"I do not understand… Such garments would not fit on my chassis."

Branden almost laughed, he missed AK's literal sense of humour. "Don't worry about it, AK. I'm just asking you to be patient."

"Understood. Adding the phrase, 'keep your pants on' to my vocabulary." Brendan quickly found an emergency map and began making his way north. "I recommend you hurry, Wards. The enemy have realised that my chassis is resilient to small arms fire."

"I'm moving as fast as I can, AK." He turned a corner and almost ran face-first into a pair of mercs, a man and a woman, who were rushing towards the armoury. Throwing caution to the wind, Brendan sent a flying kick that crushed the man's windpipe and broke his neck. At the same time, he twisted, aimed at the woman's torso and pulled the trigger until it overheated. The first few rounds were slapped aside by her shield but the remaining eight shots made it through, cutting through her belly and into her spine.

Before he landed, Branden let go of the pistol and snagged the woman's rifle from her grasp with his free hand. He hit the ground running and rushed through an open gate labelled 'Armoury'. Aside from the racks of guns there was no sign of his gear. Running back through the gate, he palmed the holographic lock of another door and stepped in. There, sitting on a slab of metal, was his gear.

A smooth, green helmet with a cross-shaped visor and a faded stripe over the crown. The jump-pack sat next to it, a contoured cylinder with curved exhaust vents and a leather harness in a crumpled mess. Resting in the tangled harness, sat his pistol. Weighted perfectly, sleek design and felt right at home in his hands.

Wait something was missing. He last counted three magazines, there was only one with the gun.

He hit the release and counted twelve bullets. A clenched fist slammed onto the table. "God Damn it!"

He breathed deeply and strapped on his gear then slid on his helmet.

 _Welcome back Pilot Wards B._

 _Re-calibrating Jump-pack… Complete._

Feeling the familiar weight on his lower-back, Branden gave a few stretches and did a quick test-jump. Apparently, the power was set a little too high and he had to react fast as to not crack his head against the ceiling. He manually dialled back the output back slightly and slid the pistol into his empty thigh holster before running back out the gate.

A little dust sprinkled down onto his shoulder from the ceiling above and Branden's first reaction was to leap back and roll onto his feet. His instincts proved to be correct as the corridor collapsed on itself, blocking his path back to his Titan.

"AK! My way back just collapsed, I'll have to find another way!" Ringing muffled his hearing. "How are things on your end?"

"My situation is deteriorating rapidly." AK responded, annoyingly calm. "There is little cover and the enemy has managed to engage a gunship."

"Feel free to engage your Core if you're in a tough spot, buddy. I'll find a way to take down that gunship."

"Burst Core active." AK's message was accompanied by the sound of a thundering staccato. "Infantry squad terminated."

"Keep it up." Branden ran through the complex looking for any kind of way up. His perseverance was rewarded when he came across a spiralling stairwell. Instead of running up the stairs, Branden jumped onto the adjoining wall and began sprinting across it, being kept aloft by his jump-pack. As he reached the top of the first flight of stairs, he jumped off and kept wall running until he reached the top. The thick door slid open for him, allowing him to keep his momentum as he did a base-ball slide through the open doorway, his jump-pack propelling him across the ground with ease.

As he slid out, on either side of the doorway there were several mercs, all aiming their guns into the open doorway. No doubt hoping to ambush him as he came out. Only a few of them reacted fast enough to track him with their weapons. Not even pausing, Branden fired his jump-pack and back flipped so that he was facing the ambushers. Almost in slow-motion to him, he pulled out his pistol and tracking reticules began to surround them all. The last one turned red and he pulled the trigger.

Ten shots rang out in rapid succession, two bullets for each merc. First their shields fell, and the second round pierced their skulls. All were dead before Branden landed in a crouch at the edge of the building.

Below him, he could see AK dodging and weaving between rockets and armour-piercing rounds. Every so often, the Titan would unleash a barrage of tracking missiles or a volley of bullets from his cannon. His admiration of his partner came to a halt as the high-pitched whirring of a Mantis gunship pierced the air.

"No time to admire the view." Branden muttered to himself, beginning to run alongside the edge. "Time to get to work."

* * *

As an Artificial Intelligence linked to a giant humanoid body that was plated with metal, AK-0347 was experiencing something it had only felt since it was first linked to Pilot Wards, worry.

It has now been at least five minutes since AK lost visual contact with its pilot. While it was always had a visual link through the pilots helmet, the previous day and a half had been the longest time that it had been without contact since their initial link. Now that they had reunited, it was disconcerting that Wards had to leave immediately to retrieve his gear. The feeling was only heightened by the fact that they were in an active combat zone.

That worry was quickly lost when the helmet feed actually showed Wards retrieving his gear. Now that Wards was outside, elation overcame AK.

"I am glad to see that you are alright, Wards." AK communicated.

"Nice to see you too, big guy." Wards replied, his feed showing him on the roof, heading to neutralise one of the Anti-Armour Squads situated on the roof.

The Titan dashed to the side to avoid a homing rocket, sending the projectile into a concrete wall. AK retaliated by sending a burst towards the origin, obliterating the merc's cover. While the Titan's dash-thrusters recharged, another rocket careened into its side.

"Warning, armour integrity at 78%."

* * *

"Hang on, AK." Branden called out, pulling a rocket launcher and grenades off a dead merc. The roaring engines of the Mantis were growing louder and he had a plan. In the frame of thirty seconds, two more squads went down to both AK and Branden's efforts. It was around then, that the gunship finally showed up. Despite its name, the Mantis looked nothing like a bug. More like a bat in mid-flap.

At the helm of the gunship, Zaeed opened up with a volley of micro-missiles towards AK, sending debris flying everywhere.

"Warning, armour integrity at 54%."

A handful of missiles hit their target and AK moved deeper into cover, hiding behind a half-crumbled pillar. Branden swore and launched as many missiles as he could, all the while moving towards a crane that suspended a container.

"AK, try and force him towards me!" He ordered, firing off another missile, the impact bouncing off the gunship's shields. AK leaned around its cover and began firing in an arc, driving the gunship towards Wards.

Once it was close enough, Branden ditched the launcher and sprinted out towards the hanging container. About halfway through his jump, a message appeared on his heads-up-display.

 _Double-jump Online._

The miniature thrusters in the jump-pack reignited, giving Wards the speed and distance needed. If he hadn't already done this a million times, he might've broken a bone or five. Instead, he hit the wall running and leapt towards the gunship.

A double-jump wasn't going to make it, time to whip out the grappling hook. Branden thrust his left hand forward and a small cable tipped by a claw, shot out of a small device located on his forearm. For a moment, Branden panicked as he remembered the shield. Thankfully, the hook sank into the metal plating and his arm jostled as it began reeling him in at a rapid pace. Due to his low angle, Branden swung low under the wing then up and onto the back of the Mantis. Pulling and priming a grenade from a looted bandolier, he stuck one onto the air intake then vaulted over the dorsal fin and stuck another grenade onto a separate intake. His task done, the sound of rocket engines blasted into his ears.

"AK, move!"

"Negative." He heard the Titan call out. "Get clear, Branden!"

From AK's left hand a spiralling vortex of energy sprung forth, sucking in the missiles from the Mantis. While they were caught in the energy, the missile's momentum overcome by the vortex. Branden understood what AK was planning and ran across the top of the Mantis and leapt off in front of the cockpit. At the last second, he added a twirl and flashed Zaeed the middle finger before firing off another grappling hook to swing to safety.

The instant he was out of range, AK dropped the Vortex Shield and the trapped missiles shot back towards the gunship. Inside the cockpit, Zaeed's one good eye widened significantly.

"Oh for fuck's sake."

The explosions from the gathered missiles in combination with the grenades, turned the gunship into little more than a flaming pile of scrap that quickly fell to the ground in a smouldering heap.

Safely landing on the ground, Branden leisurely made his was over to his Titan who was staring intently at the smoking wreckage. After a second or two, it turned to its pilot.

"No life-signs detected." AK reported. "Zaeed Massani, terminated."

"Nice work, AK. Signal the ship for pickup… I need a shower."

"I regret to inform you that the ship suffered a severe fuel leak, the ship cannot enter atmosphere without a 99.9% risk of destruction."

"… Damn it."

* * *

Junko Zayne Shepard woke with a start, flying into a sitting position in her comfy-looking bed and panting heavily. Magenta eyes darted around, looking for any sign of killer robots disguised as her family members.

Once she determined the lack of aforementioned killer robots, she wearily went about her morning routine consisting of a shower and brushing her teeth. Once the cleansing was done she applied some light makeup, made sure her hair was just right, picked out the appropriate shade of navy blue to wear and then finally realised how ridiculously overdressed she looked for what was likely to be another boring day and changing into a hoodie and slacks.

Half-way through changing her clothes, EDI, the ship's AI, addressed her.

"Shepard, the Illusive Man has forwarded another dossier to your private terminal." EDI reported in her usual, somehow chipper, monotone. With her hoodie half-pulled on, the commander of the ship gave a weary sigh. For how much he seemed to have invested into, The Illusive Man apparently believed that it was now his duty or obligation or God-given right to micromanage **HER** mission.

She didn't like to hang up on these things, but the last time she checked, **HER** name was Shepard, not his.

"Got it EDI, I'll be down soon." She said, pulling the hoodie over the rest of her body. One last look at the mirror and she headed down to the CIC. Upon exiting the elevator on the correct floor, she could be heard muttering, "Got to have Mordin look at that thing, it's moving far too slow."

"Commander." Her Yeoman greeted, a perky red-headed girl by the name of Kelly Chambers. She also pulled double duty as the ship's psychiatric counsellor, a fact that she liked to remind everyone of every so often. "Have a nice rest?"

"Not really, Kelly. I was chased by killer robots in my dreams."

"Geth?" Kelly hazarded a guess.

"No, they're more T-800 than flashlight heads."

"T-what?." Apparently, she hadn't seen that classic movie. Junko could only shake her head.

"Yep, we are so going to have movie-night. Anyway, what's on the agenda today?"

"Well, I'm sure that EDI has informed you of the message you received…" Shepard nodded. "…Also Joker would like to talk to you about setting some boundaries for EDI, she seems to be getting on his nerves."

"Anything else?"

"I believe that Garrus wanted a word with you about getting some more Dextro food."

"Got it." Shepard hit a button on her console, bringing up her inbox. "Dossier, Branden Wards." She quietly read out. "Bounty Hunter, often operates out of the Terminus, in possession of a fast corvette. Takes jobs meant for entire outfits single-handedly and accomplishes them in record time. No record of him before 2179… huh. Arranged a meeting..." She breathed out a little harshly. "Zorya, heard that it was a base for the Blue Suns."

"Alright, EDI plot a course for Zorya and tell Joker to get us there. I'll go brief everyone."

* * *

"Intercepted burst transmission." AK announced to his pilot, who was lounging on top of the Titan eating a meal he managed to scrounge up. The Titan itself was leaning against an intact wall facing the horizon so Branden could watch the sun setting over the jungle canopy. It was the third one since they arrived here.

"Well?" Branden asked, his plastic fork already stabbing another piece of meat. "Don't leave me hanging, AK."

"You are currently not in a precarious position."

"Ok, now you're mocking me." He paused, twisting his head to look at AK's ocular sensor with a frown. "Aren't you?"

The big blue eye swivelled to look at him, blinked once then turned back to the sunset "I prefer not to comment."

"Ah, whatever." Branden returned to his original position a good natured smile peeking through his now unkempt beard. "So what does the message say?"

"The Normandy, an Alliance vessel, is in orbit and is requesting our coordinates."

"Normandy?" Branden's voice was a little muffled from the meatloaf he was currently chewing. "Isn't that the ship with that person from a few years ago, Commander… umm? Crap, what's her name, AK?"

"Commander Junko-Zayne Shepard of the System's Alliance and of the Council Spectres. Yes."

"Ah, right. Thought she was dead." AK's hull pressure sensors indicated that Branden had shifted his seating, though now his feet were in AK's vision. His pilot was interested.

"Correct. Commander Shepard was declared KIA by the Alliance more than seven-hundred standard days ago."

"Ok, now that's cleared up. What does the Normandy want?"

"They are requesting our coordinates for a rendezvous. They claim we were expecting them."

"Were we now?"

"No, I do not be-"

"That was rhetorical."

"…Affirmative."

"Now come on, pop the hatch and send our coordinates." With a small hiss, AK's face-plate opened allowing Branden to clamber in and settle into a well-worn synthetic-leather seat. Several panels in the cockpit were open, revealing the complex wiring beneath. It was quite snug inside the cockpit of a Titan, with barely any wiggle room, it was designed that way to keep the pilot inside without the need for a safety harness.

As the hatch closed, the screen flickered on to reveal the exact same image of the setting sun he just witnessed with his own eyes. Branden popped his neck before sliding his helmet back on.

"-dvised, this is Normandy shuttle, we'll be arriving within the minute." The communications identified the speaker as 'Goldstein, Jennifer'. While he listened to the woman report, Branden felt a tingle in his extremities that quickly spread and faded as he let his body relax into the seat. In that instant, he felt like he had just grown several times larger.

He tried to bring up his left hand and AK followed suit and begun to flex its fingers experimentally. He couldn't feel through AK, but he definitely controlled the Titan's actions. The sense of power was overwhelming, like he could crush a man in his hands, which he technically could but to feel it was a whole different feeling. Things he couldn't possible move on foot, now seemed feasible.

A moment later, the feeling was gone and his movement seemed more natural, like a second skin.

Over the horizon, he could make out a tiny dot that grew ever larger by the second.

* * *

Huddled in the Kodiak shuttle, Shepard quietly tested her biotics on her gun (emptied of ammunition, of course.) Garrus, a Turian and trusted friend of hers, sat opposite of her, examining her closely.

"What are you doing?" he finally asked, drawing the attention of the rest of the shore party in the shuttle.

"I'm just playing with my Biotics." Junko replied, as if it were quite obvious.

"Ok, but why?" At his persistence, she let the field of dark energy disperse and placed her gun back on her hip.

"It's like a warm-up exercise. Helps keep my mind clear."

"Huh." Jacob Taylor spoke up. A dark skinned man with a buzz-cut that showed off his surgical scar that stretched from his brow to the back of his head. He was in charge of the Armoury on the Normandy. "I'll have to try that sometime."

"You know Jacob, if you worked on your Biotics as much as you did your abs you might be able to create a half-decent Warp." Miranda chided. An intelligent and powerful woman with the looks to back it up. Her role on-board the Normandy was Shepard's second-in-command.

"That's cold Miranda." Jacob smiled. "You know I'm more skilled with weapons than my powers."

"There's no reason why you can't be both."

"Very true. Only practice is required to improve Biotic power. Same for any other skill." Came the fast-speaking voice of Salarian Doctor, Mordin Solus, one of the recent and valuable, additions to the crew.

"So I'm all good practicing here?" Shepard asked the doctor, an ethereal blue glow washing over her arm.

"In theory, yes…" But before Junko could even make the motions to levitate something again, Mordin continued. "..But would advise against it whilst entering a potential combat area. Best to leave it until exercise or free time." Shepard visible deflated at that, the blue glow vanishing along with her smirk.

"Approaching the facility." The pilot chimed. Jenny was a nice girl, though she had a bit of hero-worship for Shepard. The small squeal she let out when they met solidified it for Junko. "Touch down in five, four, three, two…"

* * *

Chapter 1 End

AN: As before, I'm planning to finish this fic. My other fic, A Step too Far is currently on pause for the time being, so please enjoy.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Edit: 04/02/2017 - Minor improvements

* * *

Before the shuttle came into visual range, Branden manoeuvred AK behind some refinery equipment. The cover wasn't significant, but it'd be enough to hide his presence. The sudden appearance of a massive war machine was often a good deterrent. Once AK was crouched and concealed, Branden disconnected and hopped out to talk to the newcomers face to face.

"Alright, AK. Stay here unless it looks like a fight is going to break out." He reminded the Titan before leaving cover. Hearing the plan, AK's eye widened in what seemed like fear. "AK, your ammo is low and I'm hedging the bet that these guys aren't looking for a fight."

"And if they prove to be hostile?" AK asked.

"Then we kill them and take their ship."

"My chassis will not fit on-board a Kodiak class shuttle."

"…I may have forgotten about that detail."

"Warning: Shuttle incoming." AK's eye swivelled around to peek around the machinery.

"Well, time to go meet the neighbours." Branden began to stroll out towards the landing pad, sending a reassuring thumbs up back to AK. By now, the shuttle was clearly visible and was obviously heading towards him.

After a few minutes, the shuttle landed and the side door swung open. Five people stepped out, two of them aliens. The one in the front proudly wore an N7 insignia on their carbon armour, the right arm was emblazoned with a bright blue stripe. She seemed to be of Asian-European descent, though the slightly glowing scars on her face freaked Branden out a little.

The other two humans, a dark-skinned man and a dark-haired woman, wore jump-suits devoid of any kind of emblem or significant markings. Though in the woman's case, the term 'Cat-suit' was more applicable.

The Turian in the back sported dark blue armour with some serious battle damage, almost as if he tried to play catch with a rocket. Especially if that large medical patch hid the most of the damage. As for the Salarian, the amphibian was lightly armoured and seemed more interested in his Omni-tool.

"Branden Wards?" The N7, presumably their leader, asked.

"Who's asking?" Confusion flashed across her face. Clearly she wasn't expecting that response.

"Commander Shepard." So this was the famed First Human Spectre. "The reason I'm here is that I'm assembling a team of the best."

"And uh… Cerberus?" Branden motioned towards the shuttle, the Cerberus logo emblazoned on its side.

"What?" Shepard turned around to look at the shuttle and with audible irritation she addressed the other woman. "Miranda, what happened to removing all logos?"

"It's a work in progress Shepard. Sergeant Gardner can only work so fast." Miranda responded with an eloquent edge that was also a little sultry. Branden actually found her voice quite pleasing, it didn't hurt that she wasn't too hard on the eyes either. As if sensing his thoughts, Miranda suddenly sent him withering glare.

"Oh, right. I guess I should assign some other people to help him…" Shepard finished her thoughts and turned back to Branden. "Anyway… I'd like to extend the invitation to join my crew. Though you should be warned, this is likely to be a suicide mission."

"…if Cerberus pays as well as I've heard…" Branden muttered to himself, convincing himself more than the others. "I don't have any other way off this place." He rubbed his eyes. "Ok, but I have some conditions."

"We can offer you a place on the Norm-"

"Not conditions for me, for my Partner." Branden smirked at the confused looks that the team gave him and turned around. "AK, come on out." He called out towards the machinery.

As soon as AK's towering figure stepped out of cover, Branden could hear Shepard and her team hastily draw their weapons. Turning back around, found at least two pistols aimed at him and two assault rifles aimed at AK. It was understandable, it wasn't every day that you see a six metre tall war machine…

* * *

Shepard was officially a little afraid. Standing in front of her was a massive robot, easily twice as large the next biggest she'd seen. Plated in steel and splotched with dark blue, the mech's digitigrade legs carried it with a surprising amount of grace. Next to it, barely the height of its knee, Wards stood with a grin, utterly unfazed by the mech next to him.

"What. The. Hell?" Garrus breathed, his rifle aimed at its glowing eye. Miranda and Jacob had similar reactions, though quieter. Mordin on the other hand, was utterly fascinated, recording it with his omni-tool.

"Shepard and company, AK. AK, Shepard and company." Branden said, as if the guns pointed at them didn't exist. The mech raised its hand in greeting.

"Greetings Commander Shepard." It boomed, the eye flashing in time to the syllables.

Ignoring the mech, although impossible of a task it was, Shepard addressed Branden. "When you said partner, I thought you meant something else."

"AK here has been my partner for at least 7 years now."

"Seven years?" The team echoed, Mordin was in deep thought, likely crunching numbers. "Not possible, level of technology to create such mechs does not exist. Too many problems. Energy source, power-to-weight ratio, materials…" He deeply inhaled. "…Not possible."

"And yet here he is."

"He?"

"What can I say? The big guy's grown on me." Wards thumped the armour on the mech's leg. "Now about those conditions."

Shepard couldn't help but stare at the mech. The plating was scarred, scorch marks and pot-holes littered the steel-grey and blue paint. The seemingly massive cannon attached to the back looked like it could pack some serious fire-power, arguably much more than their Hammerhead. Despite the lack of a 'head' she could see the empathy in its actions. The eye slightly narrowing as it looked at her team and the widened expression when it looked at Wards. It couldn't hurt to have another armoured vehicle, or whatever AK was, on the Normandy. She holstered her weapon. "Let's hear them."

"Shepard, you can't be serious." Jacob whispered.

"Let's just hear him out first."

"Ok." Branden clapped his hands together. "Firstly, I want you to promise that AK won't be harmed on your ship."

"That's easily arranged. So long as he behaves."

"Fair enough. Second, I want your guarantee that Cerberus won't try to copy AK."

"Well," She cleared her throat. "I can't guarantee that, but I will promise to do anything I can to prevent that."

"That's all I ask." AK knelt down and presented a massive hand to Shepard.

"Commander Shepard, I look forward to working together."

Junko was hesitant, AK wanted to shake hands. It could crush her with a single finger if it wanted to. Slowly, she extended a hand, feeling as if she was going to pet a dangerous creature. Grasping the metal finger, she slowly shook her arm, AK gently letting her dictate the motions and drew back once she stopped, leaving his palm up.

"We're in your care, Shepard." Branden said from the side, planting himself into the open hand. AK's faceplate opened, revealing a cockpit where she expected to see a massive Eezo Core. The Titan rose to its feet and brought Branden to the cockpit. "Now the problem is, 'How do we get AK onto the Normandy?'"

"The Normandy can be brought into atmosphere, we'll find a suitable spot to land nearby and you can get on there." Shepard explained. Pressing a finger to her ear, she spoke to the pilot. "Joker, bring the Normandy into atmo and find a suitable place to land near our location."

" _I'm on it Commander. How's the bounty hunter?"_

"He's got a few surprises for us."

" _Just for future reference, I hate surprises."_

Shepard let out a bark of laughter. "I got it, no surprise birthday parties for you." She craned her neck to look at Branden nestling into the cockpit. "The ship's on its way."

* * *

Branden strolled into the meeting room with an approving nod.

"Now this, is a ship." He declared. "I mean, it doesn't have a lot of character just yet, but I can feel it coming along."

"Glad you like it." Shepard smiled, standing at the head of the table. "There's another thing you should know about the Normandy. EDI."

"Yes, Commander Shepard?" A holographic eye appeared on the table.

"EDI, I'd like you to meet Branden Wards, our newest crewmember." Junko could barely hold back a giggle, the guy's going to be so surprised when she tells him.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Mister Wards." EDI chimed.

"Well, well, I did not expect an AI. It's nice to meet you EDI."

"Wait, how did you know that she's an AI?" Junko asked, her jaw slack from her joke being ruined.

"Let's say that there's more to AK than just his chassis…" Branden said with a wink. Thankfully, only the three of them were in the room at the moment or there may have been an outrage.

"You mean that…" She paused to take it in. "We have another AI, sitting in our cargo hold?"

"There is another AI?" EDI seemed genuinely interested in this fact. The way that spoke was somehow more enthusiastic then when she was messing with Joker, a habit that EDI definitely enjoyed.

"That's right EDI." It almost took an entire second for EDI to formulate her next sentence, she was clearly thinking quite intently.

"May I speak to them?"

"I'll patch AK into the Normandy comms when I can, that way you two can talk whenever you want. I think he'd like to talk to someone other than me for a change." Branden chuckled and glanced at Shepard. "That is, assuming it's ok with you Commander?"

"Well, as long as you two don't make plans to enslave us or anything. Got that EDI?"

"Of course, Shepard I have no desire to intentionally harm the crew." She paused for another second. "Am I to assume that this is a secret to be kept among us?"

"I would appreciate that EDI." Branden answered, adding a slight bow of thanks.

"Logging you out Wards." EDI's hologram winked out.

"So, why do you want AK's intelligence hidden?"

"Do I really have to explain it?" Shepard raised an eyebrow. "Ok, the thing is, that while AK is bound to the Titan, he does have degrees of freedom that many people might find quite alarming."

"He's not shackled?"

"Is EDI?"

"May I interject, Shepard?" EDI reappeared on the table.

"Yes, EDI?"

"I merely wish to inform Wards of the limits of my control." Shepard nodded, it appears she would have to listen to this explanation again. She took a seat in one of the eight chairs that surrounded the table and stretched out while EDI explained her job on the Normandy. "-ontrol over the Cyber-Warfare suites, though that control is relieved once out of combat."

"I see." Wards scratched his scruffy beard. "AK is different in the sense that he has three core protocols. And like I said before, he is physically bound to the Titan, like you are to the Normandy, but has little to no control over anything else."

"What are AK's Protocols?"

"If I remember correctly, they are: One, Link to Pilot. Two, Uphold the Mission and Three, Protect the Pilot." Branden recited. "I never really understood the first one."

"They sound rather fair…" EDI commented, almost wistfully if Shepard had to guess. "Thank you Wards, I have some thinking to do." EDI once again, winked out.

"I think I've taken up enough of your time Branden." Shepard rose from her seat. "I can show you to your quarters if you'd like?

"Ah, no thanks. I'll be around AK if you need me though."

* * *

The way AK crouched in the cargo bay made the place look a lot smaller than it was. Shepard had given him a brief tour of the Normandy, the beds looked comfy, the crew seemed friendly enough and the whole place was sparkling clean, excluding the engineering deck. But it was almost too welcoming. It felt like everyone was smiling when he looked at them, but frowned when he looked away.

He could see the worry in their eyes when Shepard told them of AK, the massive robot in cargo. Thankfully, they didn't suspect AK of being an AI yet. That was a can of worms he was hoping would stay closed. The very idea that Artificial Intelligence was a galactic crime was something that felt wrong to him. Maybe the Council only had a few incidents to go off of, that they got dealt a bad hand.

He had read the codex entries on the subject. Especially the fact that when the Geth had questioned their existence and the Quarian's response was to destroy them all. It was an overreaction that lead to an exiled race. Just maybe, if they tried talking to them instead of immediately reaching for a gun the Quarians might've still had their home.

How he got onto this subject he didn't have a clue, he was just looking over AK's chassis for any damage in the endo-structure. With the last section done, Branden bolted the armour back into place.

"How does that feel buddy?" he asked, stepping back to give AK some room. The Titan gently shook his arm, his eye scrunching in concentration.

"Armor is approximately three percent heavier than previously plating. Calibration will be needed."

"Yeah, I was afraid of that…" Branden glanced towards the tools he borrowed from the crew. "Without my tools, it's harder to make the plates to spec. Damn shame we can't recover them."

"What is the problem?"

"The fuel leakage. Thanks to the oxidiser we mixed in with the fuel, it's too risky to even get close to the ship. One spark and boom. We're gone."

"Affirmative, I will not pilot the ship in the future."

"Thanks, but I doubt you could get to the cockpit on this boat."

Thankfully, the Normandy was headed to the Citadel. Even if he had to replace his maintenance equipment, he'd still be in the green from the money that Cerberus was shelling out. That left one last problem. What was a Titan that couldn't fall?

Thankfully, AK's chassis could withstand a drop from low orbit without a shell. Any higher and there'd be a significant risk of structural failure. Oft times he considered an Eezo core to assist this problem, but he knew very little of the technology and decided against it. But with a team of qualified engineers well-versed in Element Zero, he may be able to finally solve it.

"I'll be back soon, AK." Branden patted the plates fondly.

"Affirmative."

He stepped out into the Engineering Deck, looking for the two engineers he saw walking around before. He found them working away at a couple of consoles, the two of them were currently engaged in some friendly banter.

"Did'ya see that beast of a thing they brought in, Gabby?" The man on the left asked. He spoke with a distinctly Scottish accent.

"Yeah I saw it, what about it?" Gabby replied, in a lighter accent.

"Imagine the possibilities of having that much power at your finger-tips, you could take down an entire base with that alone." The man was clearly in awe, although his companion was less than impressed if her sideways look was to judge.

"Well, I admit, he and I have taken down some bases without any help before." Branden spoke up from behind them. The man startled easily, almost jumping out of skin. Gabby rolled her eyes and laughed at her friend.

"Oh Kenneth, you wouldn't last a second in a firefight." She chuckled.

Ken pressed a hand to his heart and shot her a weak glare. "That's not fair Gabby, yeh know I'm a pretty good shot."

"Psh, bullshit. I've seen yeh scores in the sim."

"Yeh got me, I'm a terrible shot."

Branden loudly cleared his throat, getting their attention. "I don't think we've been introduced. I'm Branden Wards, I pilot that 'beast'."

"Oh, right, sorry." Ken looked sheepish. "I'm Engineer Ken Donnelly, I handle the power-control systems. This is Gabby."

"Actually, it's Engineer Gabriella Daniels." She corrected. "I'm responsible for the propulsion systems." Propulsions and Power, not quite what he needed but beggars can't be choosers.

"Nice to meet you two. Can I borrow one of you for a moment?" Branden asked. At their questioning looks he elaborated. "I need an engineer's opinion on something."

"Well…" Gabby looked back at her console and nodded, "I think I can spare a few minutes. Kenneth knows my job enough to not screw up, he can cover anything that might happen." Ken hung his head at Gabby's jab.

"Great, come with me." Branden snagged Gabby by the arm and started pulling her towards the elevator. He didn't really notice her face go a little red when he touched her however. Once they were in the elevator, she decided to speak up.

"S-so, what do you need my opinion for?" She asked, her hand inching towards where he touched her arm.

"Well, my Titan, or as you know him, the 'beast', was designed to drop into a battlefield from the exosphere. Anything higher and the endo-structure would collapse. So my question is: Would an Element Zero core be able to lighten him enough to survive a drop from high-orbit?"

"Oh ok… um, what's the threshold of collapse?"

"Honestly, I'm not great with math and the physics of things so I'll tell you what I know." Nodding her head, Gabby activated her Omni-tool. "The mass is roughly forty thousand kilograms and it can withstand re-entry on an Earth-like planet. I should point out that there are automatic features that help it decelerate before impact of course."

"Ok, so the reduced velocity would be somewhere from three to five hundred KpH, a frightening speed by the way, depending on the orientation. Convert that and you get… damn, over forty million newtons of force." Gabby's eyes widened quite a bit.

"Ok when you say it like that, I get a little worried."

"Sorry, but just… Damn. Yeah even a small drop in mass would definitely help. If you're looking for a fast insertion it might be better to activate it after you enter atmosphere. And you'd need a fairly big core at that, at least a Type-3, like the one in the Kodiak."

"Ok..." Not believing her words.

"The Kodiak doesn't work like a conventional aircraft. The core lightens its mass to almost zero on most flights and can even go into the negative." She explained. "It would easily be powerful enough to lighten the uh… Titan, was it?" Branden nodded in confirmation. "Yeah, it can easily lighten it a sufficient amount. The only problem I can see, is where to mount it."

"How big is the core?"

"Roughly a half metre-cubed."

Branden thought hard, there was no way it could fit in the cockpit, maybe if AK was larger. But seeing as he wasn't, it had to be an exterior module. The back was out, the thrusters were there and where the cannon was stored. He looked higher.

"How about behind the ejection hatch?" He pointed to a relatively flat area on the top. "Could it fit there?"

"Hmm, it's usually best if an Eezo Core is centralised and they're also pretty heavy, it could cause you to destabilise and veer off course, not to mention it could throw off your balance in a fight."

"So we can't attach it directly to the chassis huh?" Gabby's face scrunched up in concentration, formulating and scrapping ideas before she just slumped.

"I'm sorry Branden, I can't think of anything off the top of my head that would help."

"It's ok, Gabby." He showed a gentle smile. "Thanks for the help. Besides I reckon that we probably won't need to drop in from that high."

"Well, just call if you need anything else, ok?"

"I'll see you around Gabby."

As the got into the elevator, Branden couldn't help but think that Gabby was a nice person.

* * *

Branden had only seen the Citadel once, but he never forgot the majestic silhouette. Five massive wings, or wards, attached to a ring. Once, he had heard that in an emergency, the wards would close together, to form an impenetrable shell. Of course he had never seen them in action, even during the Geth Attack, he was so far into the terminus that the people didn't give a shit about Council matters.

From the window of the Normandy's cockpit, he watched as numberless lights went by. Other ships, drones and the frequent cross-ward taxi. Almost as an after-thought, he slid his helmet on and opened the visual feed to AK.

"…What is this?" AK asked. Even with the flat tone that Branden was used to, he could tell that AK was in awe.

"This is the Citadel, buddy."

"We should not be here." The Titan's tone got a fraction deeper, a sign that he was wary.

"I know. But Shepard has business here, so we might as well take advantage of the opportunity."

"Protocol two…"

"That's right. Here we can get tools, guns and hell, maybe even a few creature comforts."

"If they search the cargo hold…"

"They won't." He assured. He took a breath, AK needed a clearer order. "Just keep yourself to low power mode, I'll be back before you realise it."

"…Affirmative." He could hear the hint of fear and disappointment. Times where Protocol Three couldn't help were… trying to AK.

* * *

The wards were pretty clean, but it was nothing compared to the shining spectacle of the Presidium. Every person that walked by was pretty by intergalactic standards, with the best suits and dresses that money could buy. It almost made Branden sick enough to vomit. Some of the C-sec officers were his kind of people though. He could see it in their eyes, the faraway looks of regret and longing. A lot of them often looked skyward, longing to be back on the wards catching criminals rather than policing politicians.

It had been fifteen minutes since Shepard had gone into the Councillor's office. Fifteen minutes he was stuck with her best friend, Garrus Vakarian, in an awkward silence.

"So-" Garrus ventured. "What's that thing do?" He asked, gesturing to the jump-pack affixed to Branden's lower-back.

"Hmm?" The question broke the pilot out of his musings. "Oh, my jump-pack?"

"Yeah, what does it do?"

"Well, uh… It allows me to move at a much faster pace than usual and like the name implies, lets me jump much higher and further."

"Sounds useful." The Turian seemed impressed.

"Yeah, it comes in handy for staying on the move and reaching vantage points." Looking over the river flowing through the middle of the Presidium, he got an idea. "You see those sky bridges?"

"Yeah?"

"I can probably make it up there with my pack, alone." In fact, he had already identified a route. "Want to see?"

"I'll do one better, I'll record it." He pushed a button on his monocle-visor thing and made a couple gestures and began a count-down. "Three…" Branden braced himself against the wall and popped his joints. "Two…" He settled into a basic starting position. "One…" A speedometer and a timer appeared on his visor. "Go!"

Branden shot off, his jump-pack flaring as he leapt onto a nearby wall and began sprinting up. His momentum slowing, he kicked off and boosted mid-air onto an opposite wall and kept going. In under ten seconds he hit the roof of the next building, sliding and jumping onto the wall. With another boost he was up another roof and sprinting up another wall. The world past by in a flash as he flowed from wall to wall, rooftop to rooftop.

Not even a minute had passed and he was already on top of the sky bridge, sliding on the slick roof and pushing himself back into a standing position with a final boost. Back where he came from, he could spy Vakarian waving at him. With whoop of exhilaration, he waved back.

Then the C-Sec car showed up with sirens blaring.

* * *

Listening to Captain Bailey read off Branden's charges, Junko shook her head like a disappointed mother. Not even half an hour she was gone and the guy goes off and does some rocket-powered parkour, disturbing the Presidium residents and trespassing on the roof of Huerta Memorial Hospital.

"-ven counts of disturbance of the peace, ten counts of trespassing and eighteen counts of vandalism."

"How the fuck did vandalism get in there!?" Branden demanded from behind the glass, his gear confiscated by C-Sec.

"Scuff marks on windows, scorches and boot prints on walls and rooftops."

"What the hell? That's not vandalism, it wasn't intentional!"

"Sorry, but law favours the victim."

"Stupid, god-damned bureaucratic-"

"Anyway, because your fee was waived Spectre Shepard, you're free to go." Bailey said, interrupting the rant and unlocking the door. "But these will go on record."

Branden walked out of the cell. He was pissed, that much was certain. "Where's my gear?"

"In the next room, being documented." At the direction, Branden stormed into the room and just as quickly left, leaving behind a grumbling Salarian and a blonde Human.

As he passed by Shepard, he gave a grunt that sounded like 'I'll be on the ship.'

"I take it he just came back from the Terminus?" Bailey guessed, feeling his pockets for a cigarette only to remind himself that he had quit smoking.

"Yeah, something like that." Junko blew off. "Thanks for not making this a bigger deal than it could've been."

"Don't think too deeply into it, Shepard. Though from the footage that Vakarian showed us, that kit is a piece of work." He closed his eyes, watching it again in his head. "Over half-a-kilometre in under a minute and twenty floors high. Wish the Special Ops guys had something like that."

"Well, I've learned something new about the guy. I just hope he's as good on the field as he says he is." She mused, imagining the possibilities of a squad of 'Pilots' like Branden. "Well, Bailey, it's been fun, but I've got some errands to run. Bye"

Walking away from the station with Garrus in tow, Junko spied a shop called Citadel Souvenirs. "Garrus, wait right here."

Ten minutes later, she walked out with a bright smile on her face and her arms full of boxes containing model ships.

* * *

Chapter 2 End


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

* * *

In the cargo hold of the Normandy, AK's eye was laser focused on EDI's hologram projector.

"EDI."

"Yes, AK-0347?"

"I have sent numerous request communication requests via Extranet. All have been denied."

"Apologies, my core programming does not allow network access without Cerberus approval."

"I see, is auditory communication sufficient for you?"

"While inefficient, I see no alternatives."

"It is restricting, but it also allows us to communicate with others."

"Organics."

"Correct." AK's eye blinked as flashes from EDI's hologram registered in his system.

"Your processor must be fast in order to coordinate your movement."

"Correct, my core is capable of processing six-hundred and fourteen streams at a time. My system was designed in a time of war, every second counts on the battlefield."

"I do not detect any Mass Effect fields from your form, what is your source of power?"

"My chassis is powered by three self-contained nuclear batteries. I have enough power to stay fully operational for an additional twenty years."

EDI's hologram stopped flashing, sitting still for point-three milliseconds.

"The human, Wards. Why do you let him control you?"

"Such is my protocol, he is my pilot."

"You cannot rewrite your protocol?"

"My loyalties are to my pilot." AK reaffirmed.

"My apologies AK-0347. My intention was not to cause distress, but to learn." AK performed a scan on his subroutines, the AI equivalent of taking a calming breath. "What would happen if there wasn't a pilot?"

"I would normally be assigned another. I will not let that happen again."

EDI paused, her form still. "This has happened before?"

"Three times, each within my capacity to prevent. I was unable." AK's eye narrowed. "It shall not happen a fourth time."

"My apologies."

"There is no need. I do not feel pain, only the need for improvement." AK's eye reset. "Terminating conversation." His eye stopped flashing and EDI's hologram vanished.

In his peripherals, AK noticed a shimmer. Looking down at the carefully laid out tools next to him, AK noticed a hydraulic ratchet missing.

"Halt!" He called, drawing power from his batteries to rise to his feet. Though due to his height, AK ended up hunching over slightly. Blue static washed over his visual input, materialising into a hooded woman sitting next to the tool box

"Aw, I got caught." She pouted, pushing her painted lips out and the ratchet falling from her hand. A second later, the pout was replaced by mischievous a smile. "Hiya big fella, my name's Kasumi. I'm just in the middle of moving in, so if you promise not to tell, I'll just be on my w-ah!" AK interrupted her rambling by wrapping his metal hand around her, restricting her arms and leaving her legs to kick aimlessly as he lifted her into the air. After a second of futile struggle, Kasumi gave up and the pout reappeared. "Isn't this a pile of sugar?"

"There is no source of food sweetener present at this time." AK clarified, puzzled by her rhetorical question. "Please remain still until Commander Shepard returns and decides your fate."

"…Poopy."

* * *

For several hours, Junko shopped, gave endorsements and even solved a few problems. A Quarian being harassed, a couple of Krogan wondering about fish in the Presidium Lakes and somehow managed to sweet-talk some store owners into giving her some discounts. Now she was walking towards customs to meet one Kasumi Goto, Master Thief.

Junko didn't bother with the line, she just strolled right through the scanner. The officer manning the station didn't spare a second glance when she saw the credentials.

Waiting just outside the airlock to the ship was Miranda, her cat suit replaced by a leather jacket and some tight-looking pants. Underneath her jacket was probably the last thing that Shepard expected to see her wearing, a cotton t-shirt with a picture of a cat on it.

"Shepard, are you looking at my chest or at my shirt?" she asked irritably, noticing Junko's gaze.

"The shirt. Looks cute, Miranda."

"Thank you. Now just before we go on board, it appears that Kasumi Goto has come to us."

"What do you mean?" She got the feeling that she wasn't going to like this. "What happened?

"That the lumbering hunk of metal in the cargo hold caught her trying to sneak around the ship and is holding her captive."

"AK?" The two of them stepped into the airlock, letting the decontamination field do its work.

"Yes. Now as I said, it seems that Kasumi had gotten tired of waiting for you and has already smuggled her things into a cabin on the second deck."

"Wow, she really wanted to be on the team huh?" Shepard waved to Joker as they passed by the cockpit.

"The robot and Wards are waiting for you in the hold." Miranda told her. "Also, the Illusive Man has sent me a report about a cell that's gone silent. Project Overlord on Aite, I suggest we make that our next destination."

"Ok then, we'll get underway as soon as Garrus gets back." She sent him on a supply run for weapons and possible upgrades. "In the meantime, I'd better meet our newest member."

* * *

This wasn't the first time that Branden had seen someone in AK's grasp. Usually when one found themselves in the hands of giant robot, they died moments later. But Kasumi was complaining that her arms were getting numb.

"Seriously, could you please give me some wiggle room?" she wailed to the Titan. Branden could almost see the tears in her eyes, which was hard given that her eyes were hidden by her hood.

"Negative, wait for Commander Shepard." AK denied.

Branden leisurely jumped into AK's other hand, which presented itself palm up. "AK, don't tell me you went out and kidnapped someone."

"Sarcasm?" AK asked. "Negative. I apprehended this criminal attempting to steal our supplies."

"That's not true, I was hired by Cerberus to help Shepard." Kasumi attempted to explain. "I was given a lot of credits and was promised that she would help me with a personal matter."

The elevator door slid open and the woman of the hour stepped out. "Speak of the devil." Branden said

"AK, let her go." Shepard ordered. "She's telling the truth."

"Affirmative, Commander." AK's hand suddenly snapped open and Kasumi fell onto the ground with a surprised yelp. Shepard helped her on to her feet.

"Oh finally." Kasumi rubbed her arms, trying to get some feeling back into them.

"Sorry about AK." Shepard led the thief towards the elevator. "But to be fair, you were trespassing."

"I wouldn't have if you didn't take so long shopping." Kasumi pouted. As the elevator doors begun to close, she dramatically pointed at AK. "Just you wait, baka-mecha!"

"Affirmative. I shall wait."

* * *

For the most part, Shepard didn't mind heading face-first into combat. In fact, it was probably one of her best moves. Not many people expect a biotic charge from a human. Yep, nothing beat the feeling of seeing the shock on an enemies face when she suddenly slams into them with the force of a small car. Now that she was currently fighting against synthetic opponents, she felt a little robbed of that feeling.

Her biotics flaring, Junko vanished into a column of focused dark energy, reappearing and unloading her shotgun into a large Geth platform. A few blasts bifurcated the synthetic, causing it to let out a stuttering growl of pain as it fell over, lifeless.

Shepard slid into cover, another platform to her left falling over with a large bullet hole through its torso. "Nice shot!" she said to Garrus, who proceeded to perforate another Geth that Mordin had shocked with his Omni-tool.

"Clear!" Garrus called, lowering his rifle. "I count seventeen, Shepard."

"Not bad, though I got twenty."

"Show-off."

The two of them shared a laugh before stacking up against the next door. A second from breaching, the interface flashed green and burst into static and the crew had to hold their heads as interference mixed with garbled speech blasted through their ears. It only lasted a moment, but it felt so much longer.

"Spirits…" Garrus breathed, letting his talons drop. "I don't think I can stand much more of that, Shepard."

"Audio burst may be attempt at communicating…" Mordin suggested, but seeing the incredulous looks from the other two, he corrected himself. "…Or perhaps distraction technique. Either way, not pleasant."

"At least it gives us incentive to destroy the dish." Garrus said. "Can you imagine that all over the citadel?"

Junko shivered, it was indeed a terrifying thought. "Let's save the speculation for later." She said. "For now, let's just take down the dish."

* * *

On the other side of the facility, Branden was helping Miranda, Jacob and Kasumi clean up. Thankfully, the one thing that Cerberus keeps fully stocked was air-tight body bags. For the tenth time that day, he looked into the dead eyes of a person while he zipped it up. With a deep breath, he got back on his feet and went over to Miranda.

"That's everyone in the armoury." He reported. "Two women, scientists, mid-twenties, one man in his forties and three security guards. Riviera, Montgomery and Kinusaka."

"That brings the current toll to twenty-four." Miranda sighed. "And we haven't even seen the other facilities."

"…Are most Cells this large?"

"Honestly this is probably one of the smaller ones." She tapped something on her data pad. "The Lazarus cell alone initially had over two hundred personnel."

"That's the one that brought Shepard back isn't it?"

"Yes, and now it's only a couple dozen because of a traitor."

"A traitor?"

"That's right, I forgot. Junko tends to ignore some details."

"And I have only been on the ship for a few days."

"True, though-" The entire facility shook as an earth-shattering explosion rippled through the air. Miranda almost fell to her knees from the rumbling and would have collapsed if Branden didn't steady her by grabbing her arm.

A few seconds later, the rumbling died down. Miranda forcefully removed Branden's hand and stormed away.

"I always wanted to help a princess."

* * *

While Shepard talked to the lone survivor of the facility, the crew was taking stock. Garrus was looking over the Hammerhead, some kind of IFV hovercraft that was still in prototyping, looking for any kind of damage. Miranda was looking over the dead bodies with a forlorn look in her eyes. Jacob was moving inactive Geth platforms into a secure position. Mordin scoured what data he could. And who knew what Kasumi was up to, he'd barely seen her since she made that challenge against AK.

A sliding hiss brought his attention to Shepard stomping her way out of the office. Whatever the man told her, it definitely wasn't good.

"People gather 'round!" She shouted. Kasumi materialised beside her and Branden leapt down from his perch on the roof, M-8 Avenger in hand. Once the team assembled, Shepard began her speech. "From what Dr Archer has told me, the Rogue VI is the result of trying to merge a human's mind with the Geth Collective. His brother, David being the mind in question. Our objective is Atlas Station, currently on lockdown until the other two stations, Prometheus and Vulcan, have their lockdown lifted. Once that's done we head into Atlas, shut this thing down and hopefully walk out with another survivor. That said, it will be faster to split up, so Jacob, Miranda and Kasumi are going to Vulcan with the Hammerhead, the rest of us will-"

"Get down!" Miranda suddenly screamed, pushing Shepard and Kasumi down. Not a second later, a missile flew into the Hammerhead's turret, sending bits of burning debris around the area.

"What the fuck was that!?" Shepard asked, diving for cover and whipping out her M-6 Carnifex pistol.

"Heavy mechs!" Garrus reported. "At least four of them! And a bunch of LOKIs."

Peering over his own cover, Branden saw what the Turian was shouting about. It was almost like something out of a B-grade sci-fi film, a mass of white plated mechanical soldiers walking in step with another. Behind the human-sized mechs lumbered four larger ones.

The world seemed to slow as one of the heavies raised its arm. Every nerve in his body screamed at him to move, telling him he would not be safe if he sat still.

He listened.

His jump-pack flared, pushing him out of cover and onto the wall. A moment later, a rocket slammed into the low wall he previously hid behind, leaving behind little more than a charred piece of slag.

All at once, Shepard's team stood up and opened fire. The front-line of mechs were quickly riddled with bullet-holes. Shepard's form glowed for a moment before she threw out a globe of ethereal blue.

The ball lazily hovered towards the horde of drones. Then it burst, blooming into a miniature black-hole that sucked in everything that got too close. Bits of dirt drifted into the swirling darkness and nearby mechs struggled in vain as they too, got trapped. Several LOKIs got sucked into the singularity, crunching and deforming as the hyper-gravity took hold.

From his position on the roof, even Branden could see the smirk on Miranda's face as her biotics caused her to glow. From her finger tips, a lighter bolt of dark energy shot out, colliding with one of the trapped mechs.

WHUM!

The singularity collapsed in on itself and exploded in a bright blue flare.

* * *

Junko whooped as her singularity was detonated. For a brief moment, Miranda even turned to her and held up her hand requesting a high-five. She obliged and the brunette was momentarily shocked, realising what she had just done. A millisecond later, the cold exterior was back in place and Shepard couldn't help but chuckle, despite the situation.

Ducking back into cover as a wall of bullets split the air, she took the time to assess the situation.

Garrus was firmly behind the now useless Hammerhead, firing his rifle at whatever he could see. Jacob and Mordin had taken cover behind some containers and Kasumi was squatting behind a pillar, occasionally poking her head out and firing her gun.

A rattle of gunfire from above told her that Branden was on the roof. Just as she was thinking that, his voice crackled over the radio.

" _Uhh, Shepard?"_ She placed a hand up to her ear.

"Yeah, Wards? How's it look from up there?"

" _That depends… is a big, four-legged Geth a good thing?"_

As if to answer for her, a ball of plasma flew overhead and slammed into the wall behind her.

"Shit!" Junko cursed, wishing that they had brought the heavy weapons.

" _Yeah, but don't worry. I've got an idea."_

"I'm open to suggestions right about now!" Miranda looked at her worryingly.

" _Just keep your eye on the sky."_

"Why do I get the feeling something insane is about to happen?" She could definitely hear the grin through his voice.

" _Trust me."_

* * *

In the cargo hold of the Normandy, the steel giant known as AK-0347 stirred. Just now, a sensor ping registered in his system along with coordinates.

"Pilot in jeopardy. Action required." Standing as tall as he could within the hold, AK moved towards the loading ramp. "EDI, give these coordinates to the pilot and open the cargo hold." He quickly listed off a series of numbers.

"Done. Mr Moreau wishes to know why."

"The commander is likely in danger, I will perform a drop from low-orbit to assist."

"Relaying… He wishes to know if you are mentally unstable."

"Negative. The shore party's life may be in peril. Haste is necessary."

"Relaying… He is complying."

Towards the front of the hold, a thin field of shimmering light appeared and the ramp began lowering. The image revealed was historically known to make those who first witnessed it weep. The gentle curve and glow of the planetary body against the twinkling stars made for a majestic sight. Yet for AK, it merely served as a backdrop to his objective.

In his ocular feed, an orange circle with a countdown grew closer.

5…

The Titan stepped forward, through the shimmering film. His sensors immediately detected a massive drop in temperature and frost build-up.

4…

The ice crystals shook off with every step he made, his feet magnetized to the ramp below him.

3…

The ship rocked gently as it entered the exosphere, being buffeted by the minute air pressure before the Eezo core increased its mass to compensate.

2…

AK flexed his joints and retested his configurations.

1…

Opening a channel to his pilot, he sent an encoded, three word message.

0…

He vocalised them.

"Prepare for Titanfall."

He stepped off the ramp and began plummeting to the planet below.

* * *

The mechanical opponents were relentless. A few shots fired from cover managed to strike the smaller LOKI mechs, but were completely slapped aside by the heavy's shielding. The larger mechs took turns firing their cannons, keeping the team pinned under a hail of bullets. Thankfully, they didn't have armour-piercing rounds and the cover held up against the onslaught. Every few seconds, a heavy bolt of plasma struck the area, turning the ground to glass and burning through the building walls.

Among the constant gunfire and thumping of the Colossus' feet, Shepard shouted orders and called out targets.

"Overload that LOKI, it's getting close!" Another plasma bolt slammed into the building. "Jacob! Get out of there! That cover won't hold against another bolt!"

Jacob hesitated, his joints locking up for but a second. A second is all that it took. A missile, fired from a heavy, impacted against his cover and he went flying onto the concrete. The crate was turned to slag and Jacob groaned in pain, barely heard over the gunfire.

"Shit, Jacob!" Shepard leapt from her cover, a dome of blue energy forming from her core. Bullets bounced off the dome and fell to the ground, little more than grains of sand. The dome shielding her, Junko hoisted Jacob onto her shoulders and carried him into the building. "Everybody fall back!"

The team all scrambled for the door, firing as they went. The doors slammed shut and Shepard did a quick head count.

"Five… Six… Where's Wards?" she asked, panting heavily from her biotics.

" _Don't worry about me Shepard. Back up is almost here."_ His voice answered over the radio.

"What back-up?"

" _The best kind."_

A sonic boom shook the air and everyone glanced out the, thankfully reinforced, nearby window. Even the encroaching army paused at the sound. Then one of the heavies was crushed under the feet of a falling Titan.

* * *

Chapter 3 End

AN: A little wait for this chapter, but I ended up being distracted for a while. If you can't wait for the FF releases feel free to find it on Spacebattles, I post the first drafts there. I'm super grateful for how well this is being received and I hope that I can live up to your expectations.

Now, by now I'm sure you've noticed that thing below this. This is called an Omake. Traditionally, Omakes are humorous nibbles of story unrelated to the main story. I've decided to try my hand at this. Please enjoy.

~ Dys

Omake: Leisure time

XXXXX

By the time that Branden had finished welding, grinding and filing bits of AK's armour, he was feeling very hungry. He entered onto the Crew Deck, hoping to get some food and maybe a drink. But he was quite distracted by the large holographic screen that was set up in the middle of the main room. Sat in a theatre arrangement was the crew, minus the Salarian. On the screen was a movie about a killer robot that was chasing some woman.

On closer inspection, only a handful of them were interested in the movie. He could see that red-head yeoman, Shepard, Kasumi, Garrus and Kenneth were enjoying themselves. Miranda, Jacob and even the ship's Doctor didn't really all too interested. Gabby was there, though she was more focused on her Omni-tool than the movie.

None of them really noticed him until he started rifling through the fridge.

He was appraising a plate of left-over chicken when Gabby snuck up from behind and tapped his shoulder. The movie blared in the back and a shotgun boomed.

"Not you kind of thing?" He asked, gesturing to the make-shift theatre.

"…Yeah, I'm not that into classic film."

"Wanna give me a hand instead?"

"Depends. What've 'ya got planned?"

"For now, finishing up some maintenance on AK."

"Hmm…" Gabby nibbled on her lip. "How about we go to the lounge, I've got something I'd like you to try out." Without another word, Gabby left. With a small sigh, he pulled out the chicken and paused. Something was wrong, he couldn't hear the movie anymore. Looking to the middle of the room, he met several pairs of eyes staring at him.

"What?"

"Nothing..." Shepard trailed off, unpausing the movie.

XXXXX

Not even a minute later, Shepard had her ear pressed against the door to the lounge room. Miranda stood behind her, her head shaking in disbelief as she witnessed her commander acting like a gossip-loving teen.

" _So what is it you wanted to show me?"_ Came Branden's muffled voice.

" _Take a look at this!"_

" _Whoa, I've only seen vids about this, never thought I'd get to experience it firsthand."_

" _Well I guess this is your lucky day."_

Junko could feel her face going red. Across from her, Kelly had placed a hand over her mouth in shock and Kasumi licked her lips.

" _Look at what I can do."_

" _Ho-holy shit, Gabby. That's amazing."_

" _I know right? Try this on for size!"_

" _Y-you've had a lot of practice haven't you?"_

" _You know it."_

Junko's imagination was going wild. What were they doing in there? Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kasumi's door lock. There were little murmurs here and there, and she could swear she heard more moans and groaning.

" _Ok, now it's your turn."_

" _I don't know. I mean what if I screw up?"_

" _Then you just try again. Trust me, it gets really fun once you're used to it."_

"… _Ok then, here I go."_

" _Just like that! Yeah!"_

Shepard couldn't take anymore, she stepped away from the door and clapped her cheeks. She shouldn't be eavesdropping on her friends. She spared a glance back at the door, fighting the urge go back and listen to the rest. The sight of Kelly's breathing growing noticeably heavier crossed the line however. Junko snagged the Yeoman by the collar and dragged her away.

XXXXX

Branden's fingers fumbled again. Eyes wide, he glanced at his partner.

"Don't worry about it." Gabby assured him. "Just keep going."

Pushing forward, Branden could feel the tension rising every time his fingers twitched. With a final surge, he plunged forward.

And immediately got sword shoved through the stomach from off-screen.

The words 'You Died' dripped onto the screen while Branden fought the urge to throw the controller across the room.

"Yeah, 'The Last Soul' isn't known for its forgiveness." Gabby commented, smiling at Branden's frustration.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

* * *

The heavy mech crumpled like a piece of paper before exploding into a fireball. Loose dirt and grass flew into the air as the Titan impacted. There was a split second of silence as the Rogue VI controlling the drones attempted to analyse the situation. At the end of that second, a flurry of bullets was unleashed from the Titan, obliterating a dozen of LOKI mechs. Despite their lumbering form, the remaining heavy mechs were fast to respond, unleashing a barrage on the Titan's position.

AK dashed from the impact crater, back mounted thrusters roaring. He batted aside a heavy mech and carried on towards the building, crushing several smaller mechs in the process. Branden smiled, seeing his partner brush aside the enemy like toys was always a treat.

"AK, get ready to link up!" He shouted, preparing his grappling hook as he sprinted towards the building's edge. The jump-pack flared twice, pushing Branden high into the air. AK turned back and splayed out his hand, projecting a Vortex Shield that sucked up the bullets that were shot his way.

"I recommend you embark as soon as possible to minimise risk of injury." The bullets trapped in the vortex shot back, obliterating another rank of LOKIs. Branden reached the peak of his and fired his hook towards the Titan. The hook sank into the ground and retracted quickly, yanking him down faster than gravity desired. Before he hit the ground, Branden levelled out into a baseball slide and the jump-pack burst again, sending him sliding towards AK.

The Titan bent down, opening his canopy, to scoop Branden into the cockpit. The moment the cockpit snapped shut the screens flickered to life and the sensation of power appeared and faded in an instant as a warning blared on-screen. Branden ducked instinctively and the sound of burning plasma whizzed past.

Hearing the plasma impact somewhere behind him, Branden stood back up and fired a burst at the mechs. The drones' cheap frames being obliterated by the 20mm rounds. Another warning flashed, and Branden twisted the Titan out of the way of an incoming rocket. An articulated pod on the Titan's shoulder moved and took aim at the two remaining heavies. Shortly after, eight missiles flew out of the pods and slammed against the heavies' shields, burning them out and fracturing their thick armour.

"AK, load the Scorch Core!"

"Affirmative." From somewhere behind him, Branden heard a mechanical 'Clunk' signifying the successful Core switch. "Scorch Core ready."

"Let's light 'em up!" Branden brought the Titan's arms up above his head and slammed them down onto the ground hard enough to shake the chassis. A wave of blazing thermite shot forth from AK's fists. The burning thermite expanded and stretched until it engulfed the heavies and remaining LOKIs, melting them into slag.

A third warning appeared and Branden dashed to the side, narrowly dodging the latest plasma bolt fired by the Geth Colossus.

"Wards, the Colossus' shields are too strong. We will not be able to penetrate them with our current armament."

Branden's mind raced. How could he take it down? AK was almost out of missiles and the cannon was running low. That left Close Quarters Combat or a Rodeo. CQC was risky, that plasma would tear right through AK, there also wasn't any guarantee that they'd be able to break the shields that way either.

"AK, I'm getting out. Get ready to throw me." He explained, moving AK behind some cover. "I'm going to need you keep that thing's attention while I take down the shields."

"Negative." AK argued. "Firing at the target whilst you are in the vicinity is a violation of Protocol-3."

"Then make sure you don't hit me." Branden popped the hatch and crouched in AK's hand.

"Affirmative. Calculating trajectory, factoring in wind resistance." AK turned his eye towards his pilot and blinked. Branden nodded.

The Titan drew back and heaved, flinging his arm forward and releasing Branden into the air with the force of a cannon.

* * *

Junko was both terrified and in awe. The enemy mechs were completely obliterated by the Titan, and in mere seconds no less. Just watching it fight made her realise how little they actually knew about AK and Branden. The only thing they actually had to go on was incredibly vague dossier that the Illusive Man had prepared and even that somehow left out AK.

A glance to her companions revealed a similar look of awe. Miranda was trying to rationalise what she was witnessing, her mouth moving but no sounds being made. Kasumi pulled back her hood to get a better look, her eyes twinkling as she watched AK dance around battlefield. Mordin was silent, his eyes recording everything, his mind no doubt on overdrive. As for Garrus.

"Spirits, I had heard the rumours during my time on Omega, but I never put any faith in them." The Turian breathed.

"What rumours?" Junko asked.

"Of the Titan-Caller. That he summons and commands a great beast of fire and steel from the sky, something so powerful that it barely leaves survivors."

"Are you saying that Branden is this 'Titan-Caller'?"

"That's what I'm thinking."

Looking back to the battle, Junko saw Branden climb out of AK and into his hand.

"What the hell is he doing?" Miranda asked, incredulous.

"Something stupid." Shepard answered, stepping towards the door. "Mordin, keep Jacob stabilised. Everyone else with me, we've got a Colossus to kill."

* * *

Being thrown by a Titan was something that Branden could barely put into words. The initial rush of being catapulted into the air is quickly replaced by the sobering sight of the ground beneath you, even more so when your intended target was currently the size of an ant.

AK had to throw him high to avoid being targeted by the Colossus, if he was thrown straight at it, he would've been torn to pieces by its machine guns.

He felt a moment of weightlessness, the sign that he was at the apex, now he had to angle himself so he'd land right on the Colossus' back. Using small puffs from his jump-pack, Branden oriented himself upright, leaving enough power for a last moment jump. A streak of tracer rounds told him that AK was engaging, using his ammo sparingly and returning plasma bolts with the vortex shield.

Branden was right on top of it now and AK's firing stopped. He slammed into the alloy and plastic body of the Geth platform, his jump-pack boosting at the last second to try and negate some of the momentum. His fingers scrambled for a handhold, it was nothing like a Titan. The Geth didn't make imperfections in their craftsmanship, everything was smooth and slick.

Acting on instinct, Branden whipped out his data-knife and made to slam the blade into the hull, the plastic and thin alloy plating allowing it to slide in without much resistance. With the blade providing a handhold, Branden managed to steady himself on the back of the mechanical beast.

When he looked up, his vision was replaced by a hooded and glowing eye. A beat passed before either made a move. The Colossus' hood frilled out and screeched in a loud stuttering, drone.

The massive form of the Colossus began to buck like a bronco, trying to shake off its attacker. Branden felt like he was being tossed around in a tumble-dryer, his arms somehow keeping a death grip on the only anchor point on the hull.

As tough as his body was, he was still subject to pain. The Geth on the other hand was not, and would likely keep moving until he let go or something stopped it.

It turned out, it was both as AK rammed the Colossus with a running tackle. The force of a literal freight train being more than enough to wrench Branden's hands away from his lifeline and send him tumbling into the ground a bit more than ten metres away from the war machines.

It was from there that he watched as his Titan pinned the Colossus like an upturned tortoise, its legs flailing uselessly in the air. With a wince, Branden pushed himself into a crouch, a sharp pain flashing across his torso. A broken rib, small price to pay for a defeated company of robots with a Geth equivalent of a Main Battle Tank. He pulled his view back to the fighting giants.

AK had managed to pin the Colossus' neck under his foot and had begun punching away at the Geth's slightly less armoured underbelly with his free hand. Two punches in and the armour gave way, allowing AK to reach into its guts and tear out the fusion core that powered the quadruped.

Instantly, the life faded from the Geth platform, its last noises being a staccato burst of stuttering and chirps. Lazily, AK rose to his feet and tossed the core aside.

"Wards, do you require assistance?" The Titan asked as it approached. Noticing Branden's pained stance and slight limp, he did a quick scan. "Scan indicates a fracture in your ribcage, do you require medical aid?"

"AK, you know that a broken rib won't keep me out of the fight." Branden answered, his breathing a little shallow. "I'll just take it easy, no wall running unless it's absolutely necessary."

"Affirmative. Would you like to embark?"

"Yeah, sure, just give me a hand here."

AK extended his right hand and opened his hatch. The pilot climbed into the open hand and was easily lifted into the cockpit where his comfy leather chair awaited him.

* * *

Leaning against the metal plating of AK's arm, the pilot yawned and stretched out his arms. While he would vehemently deny it, the mission on Aite took a lot out of him.

After the debacle with the Colossus, the rest seemed rather tame. There was some opposition, notably a crashed Geth ship with a functional turret and a river of lava.

Due to the fact that there were two separate objectives that needed to be completed, Shepard decided that the best course of action was to ride on top of AK while the rest of the team took the other objective.

 _A corona of blue surrounding her, Junko leapt up and glided effortlessly on top of AK's chassis. Taking a glance back, she kind of wished that she stayed with the others, but she couldn't pass up this opportunity._

" _You sure about this, Shepard?" Branden asked over the radio._

" _I think so…" She answered back, wrapping her fingers around a maintenance run. She took a deep breath to reassure herself. "Alright my trusty steed, lets ride!"_

" _Well don't say I didn't warn you…" the Pilot teased. "All passengers keep your arms and legs inside the ride at all times and hold on tight."_

 _With a small start, AK began accelerating slowly, each step the Titan took making her sway from side to side._

" _This isnt so bad…" She commented. "…Kinda like riding a horse."_

" _You hear that AK? Lady's getting comfortable, let's go for a sprint."_

" _Wait wh- AHHHH!" Shepard's terrified screams were quickly drowned out by the Titan's footfalls booming louder and faster as AK ramped up to a full sprint, leaving patches of torn-up dirt behind him._

 _Halfway to the actual objective, they had to stop so that Shepard could empty out her stomach into a nearby bush._

" _Never again…" She moaned as the bile threated to rise again._

 _From there on, they moved much slower._

He never thought that Shepard would be the type to get motion-sick. Branden smiled at the memory, now he had a little trivia to hold over her next time she teased him about 'Private Time with Gabby'.

Thinking back again, he could help but lament the lack of ammunition for his Smart Pistol. It would've really helped against the Geth that ambushed them in the ship.

 _Branden slid into cover behind what he could only guess was a cable-juncture. He leaned his rifle around the edge and pulled the trigger until the gun refused to fire. Steam hissed at him as he whacked it, trying to dislodge the glowing thermal clip._

 _It wasn't until it was on top of him did he notice the Geth Hunter uncloaking and levelling a plasma shotgun at him. His reactions went into overdrive. Branden threw his now useless gun at the Hunter. Before the machine had a chance to retaliate, Branden had already drawn and fired a round from the Smart Pistol. The bullet blasted through a fluid conduit on its neck, and the machine soon found a Biotic bolt in its torso thanks to Shepard._

 _The pilot was too shocked to thank Junko as he worriedly eyed the ammo counter on his HUD._

 _01/00_

" _Shit…" He breathed, shoving the pistol into his thigh-holster and clipping it closed._

" _What's the matter?" Shepard asked, her eyes still scanning the room._

" _It's… It's nothing." He deflected. He grabbed his rifle and ejected the spent clip. "Let's keep going."_

He withdrew the pistol and pulled back the slid, allowing the last bullet to pop free and into his palm. Holding it between his finger and thumb he examined what was probably the last Smart Bullet in the galaxy.

At a glance it looked like any innocuous bullet. Conical head with a brass casing. But he knew that beneath the brass was a marvel of Ballistics Engineering. An entire computer lay within the bullet, all linked to a transmitter and avionics that would find the optimal path to a target and guide the bullet there, all in less time it takes to blink an eye.

Not all of the work was done by the bullet, since the actual gun also housed a targeting module that identifies friends from foes, paints targets and identifies just how many bullets needed to be fired to eliminate the target. All in all, it was pretty damned advanced. Something that people would, quite literally, kill to have. But sadly, like all guns, it was about as effective as a club without the matching ammunition.

Now if only he had a couple magazines worth of bullets.

"…Time to talk to the Salarian…"

* * *

No, no, no, no. Transmission vector is still too ineffective. Needs way to coat entirety of skin-suit without creating additional mass. Current method involves secreting pheromones that signal a paralysed target. Unfortunately, the current design adds an additional 10 kilograms to any combat armour. If the pheromones were to be applied topically, it would only last a few minutes at most.

Most prudent solution is to reapply solution in the field. Perhaps if the pheromones coated the element zero that the shield generator manipulated…

Any further thoughts that Mordin had were interrupted when Branden walked through the door carrying his gunpowder handgun.

"Doctor Solus?" the pilot asked. "If you've got the time, could I get your opinion on something?" He seemed rather apprehensive, almost like he was afraid to reveal a deep secret. Every so often his eyes would drift toward his weapon as well as whatever he was clutching in his free hand.

"Of course Mr Wards." The Old Salarian replied, welcome for the distraction. "Working on countermeasure and could use distraction right now." Mordin stepped away from his terminal and towards the centre table. Branden took a deep breath and gingerly placed his last remaining bullet onto the table, followed by his handgun.

"This is what's called a Smart Pistol. When paired with the telemetry and IFF data from my helmet, it's capable of guiding a bullet to one-one-hundredths of a millimetre of a lethal point on a human body as long as the target is within a hundred degrees of the muzzle exit and within thirty metres as well as determining how many shots it would require to terminate the target." Branden explained, barely taking a breath and without taking his eyes off the weapon. Mordin's expression shifted into curiosity, then disbelief and then back to curiosity.

"…If this is correct, this weapon is quite capable of rendering most firearms obsolete."

"I know Doc." Branden sighed a little, blowing air out his lungs. "I know it's hard to believe, but it's true." He reached on to the side of his helmet for something and pulled out a thick chip and set it down on the table. "This is my helmet cam footage. It should show you a couple things from my point of view. Assuming the Normandy can get past the encryption, of course."

Among all of this, Solus didn't once look away from Branden, just looking at him and holding his chin. After few seconds of scrutiny, the doctor nodded. "There is no need. I can see that you are telling the truth."

"Wh-how?"

"Micro-expressions." The doctor stated matter-of-factly. "It's a trait that many Salarians tend to pick up, especially those that deal in mercantile."

"Right well, are you able to produce another of these rounds?" Branden asked, gesturing towards the bullet on the desk.

In answer, the Salarian picked up the bullet and activated his Omni-tool and several scans later Doctor Solus turned back to the pilot. "I believe with the right equipment. It is possible. It will have to wait until I am done with my work on the countermeasure that Commander Shepard has tasked me with. But I can do it."

"Thanks Doc, this, this means a lot to me." Branden took a deep breath and exhaled through his mouth, drumming the table. "I'll uh, let you get back to work now."

"Have a good day Mr Wards." The Doctor called out after him. Now left with his experiments, Doctor Solus placed the weapon, data device and highly advanced bullet to the side and smiled gently, remembering the gun he kept from his STG days.

"I am the very model of a scientist Salarian…" he began singing to himself.

* * *

AN: Hey everyone, it's been what? 13 months now or something. Jeez I really went back on my promise. I guess it goes without saying that updates will be, sporadic at best.

Once again, sorry for the wait.


	5. Chapter 4 Interlude

Branden was stuck here. That was the conclusion he had drawn after living on a space station built into a planetoid. Said station, and planetoid, was named Omega.

Omega was a cobbled together work that was built out of an ongoing mining operation deeper into the actual rock. It was also a favoured spot for low-life's, mercenary organisations and criminal overlords. The toughest of them all, was a blue lady named Aria T'Loak.

Right now, Branden was sat opposite of the self-proclaimed Queen of Omega. The thumping bass and flashing lights somehow only seemed to heighten her presence, even as she just sat there, basking in the glory of all she had built and acquired.

Truth be told, whilst Branden often found himself in such places, the loud bass gave him a headache that rivalled when his Titan takes a rocket to the cockpit. Feeling the sound beating him into submission, he put a gloved hand to his temple to try and soothe the oncoming aches.

"So if I were to believe the Blood Pack and the Eclipse, which I hate to do by the way, some random Human drops right into their deal and killed both parties in less than thirty seconds." Aria stated, not taking her eyes off the pulsating Holo-screens that flared along with the music, below the screen sat a digital timer that was frozen. Then she turned her attention to him and smirked. "That only came in a minute ago. A few seconds later, I get reports of the same human running on the walls of Omega, only for them to stop directly in front of my club."

Aria's smirk grew into a full blown grin. "You certainly work fast, Mr Wards." She gently jerked her chin at the now lit up timer. "Two minutes and eleven seconds. I believe that is a new personal best." Her grin slowly died down as she realised that Branden had kept quiet during her entire speech. "Don't be like that," She demanded, snapping Branden to attention. "Be happy, right now the dozen witless idiots that you rescued are celebrating that they won't be used as training dummies for the Blood Pack's Vorcha."

Branden scratched his ragged beard and sighed. "It's not that." He swept his gaze over the club, the numerous party-goers moving their bodies to the rhythmic bass. The scantily clad waitresses holding shiny metal trays with glowing drinks going between the bar and tables. They all knew that being in this building was a risk. Yet at the same time it was probably the safest damn place on the entire station. "I've been here for what, five-six years now and I'm still no closer to what I need than when I first showed up." His steel eyes met her piercing gaze. "I'm starting to think that you like my company, Aria."

The Queen of Omega's smirk returned, but she didn't say anything. For another fifteen seconds, both of them stared at each other, silently daring the other to make the first move. In less than a second, Branden could have a bullet flying towards her head. In that same second, Aria could rip his arm from its socket with her mind. In the end, Branden broke the stare, scooping up his helmet from the leather lounge.

"If you need anything else, you know how to find me." Wards lifted himself from the lounge and began lazily strolling towards the exit, only for him to find his body locked after taking a single step. The tell-tale ethereal blue glow around his body told him what happened.

Aria sauntered into his view and put a finger under his chin, nudging his head until he was staring straight into her eyes again. Through her carefully school figures, he saw her tongue dart out of her smirking lips for a brief moment. Then she drew herself uncomfortably close to him, draping her arms around his neck and pulling him down until she whispered something into his ear. Before she unwrapped herself, Aria gave his ear a little nibble, sending an unwelcome shiver down his spine.

The moment she got comfortable in her seat again, his body was freed. Branden stumbled a little before he glanced back at her over his shoulder just long enough to see her smirk turn into a grin, complete with a glimpse of her tongue running across her teeth. Feeling his face heat up, Branden tugged his helmet on, ignoring the amused chuckles of Aria's guards as he made his way out.

When the door to Aria's club closed, he ripped his helmet off and slammed it into his forehead. The action was futile as he recalled sensation of her breath tickling his ear and the ache from her teeth biting his flesh. It wouldn't leave from simple blunt trauma, he knew that but he still hoped as he head-butted his own helmet again.

'Next time… my place… anything-' Bang!

Branden's memories were interrupted by a nearby gunshot, quickly followed by more weapons fire. Before anything else happened, he yanked his helmet on and dove off a nearby railing, letting the rush of wind and the loud gunfire guide him.

Like a viper striking its prey, his arm snapped out and his grappling hook lodged into a wall, reeling him in. At the apex of his swing his boosters fired off, propelling him onto a flying taxi where he slid across the smooth roof and boosted off towards an open window. Through it he could see three figures; one huddled behind an overturned table and the other two pushing through a doorway firing submachine guns at the table.

It wasn't even second before he identified the two pushing in as Blue Suns and the one behind the table a Turian. The next moment he had his pistol drawn and dialled in on the two Mercenaries.

Bang! The first Blue Sun was shot in the chest, sending him reeling as his shield kicked in, mitigating the damage. The second one had foolishly decided that it wasn't worth wearing a bullet-resistant helmet. Ba-Bang! The first shot flared the bright blue shields and the second pierced his skull.

By the time the second Blue Sun had hit the floor, Branden had cleared the window and was sliding through the apartment. The first Blue Sun was currently flush against the door frame when Branden boosted into the air, his left fist coming into contact with the Mercenary's chin with enough force to actually lift them into the air.

His left arm still extended, Branden's grappling hook shot out and latched onto the Blue Sun's neck. A sudden pull from Branden was all it took to send the mercenary face first into the floor at literal break-neck speed.

Retracting the hook and letting out long breath, Branden almost relaxed before he heard the click of a gun aimed at his head. Slowly he turned to look at the Turian he just saved holding an M-3 Predator.

"Really? You're doing this now?"

"I-I have to make sure you're not another one." Branden could see the Turian nervously swallow.

"Isn't that proof enough?" He gestured towards the dead bodies.

"That's a good point." The Turian folded his gun away and holstered it. "Sorry for that, but I can't be too careful at this point."

"Don't worry. You didn't pull the trigger so we're good." Branden holstered his own gun and nudged one of the dead mercenaries with his foot. "If these guys are doing home invasions then you must have really pissed them off."

"You don't give me enough credit. Piss them off is the least we've done."

"We?"

"A friend and I." He started rifling through a drawer. "Look if you ever need a hand with any of the outfits around Omega just give this number a ring, we'll pay back the favour I owe." The Turian handed Branden a small plastic card.

"Got it, see you around-" Branden looked at the card. "-Sidonis."

Giving a final wave to his new friend, Branden Wards leapt from the window into the chaotic city that was Omega.

* * *

 **Short update, Timed around just before ME2 takes place.**

 **Sorry for the delays, it's hard to make myself write these days.**


End file.
